Stoppering means for bottles and like receptacles.



A. M. LOW.

'STOPPERING MEANS FOR BOTTLES AND LIKE RECEPTACLES.

APPLICATION HLED APR.25. 1916.

1 23mm 0 Patented July 3, 1917.

LE 1 JFT E iii/021E01 A'Honllgl,

ARCHIBALD MONTGOMERY LOW, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

STOPPERING- MEANS FOR BOTTLES AND LIKE REGEPTACLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1917.

Application filed April 25, 1916. Serial No. 93,394.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD Monr- GOMERY Low, a subject of the King of England, residing at London, in England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stoppering Means for Bottles and like Receptacles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stoppering means for bottles and like receptacles (hereinafter termed bottles for sake of brevity) which when applied to a bottle will render same so difficult to refill as to substantially produce a so-called non-refillable bottle such as is commonly used for the retailing of wines, spirits, liquors and the like to prevent fraudulent refilling with a liquid of inferior quality to that originally contained in the bottle.

The improved stoppering means is of that type which comprise a minimum number of eifective elements all separable and relatively disconnected viz: a casing provided with a nozzle or pouring aperture, a washer for instance of cork on which the base of said casing bears and forming a valve seat, a tiltable valve member within the casing adapted to prevent access of liquid to the bottle by hearing on said washer, and a valve-controlling member having a curved lower surface which bears on the valve member to force same to its seat.

The invention primarily consists in a particular construction of the valve controlling member in which the active surface thereof is given a curve of parabolic formation, which has been found to materially assist the action of the valve in that it is more efiect-ively forced to its seat.

The invention further consists in forming the valve itself as a thin flat disk without any centering extension or the like and with a downwardly directed peripheral flange which bears directly on the cork or like seat or washer.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure is a partial elevation of a bottle showing the improved stoppering means applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the parts in vertical section. Fig. 3 is a plan view from below the part of stoppering means and Fig. 4 is a detail View of a modification of a valve-controlling member hereinafter referred to.

The stoppering means illustrated comprise a casing or nozzle a constituting a valvechamber and having at its upper end a 4 pouring aperture 6 of relatively large diameter or dimensions and which remains unrestricted for pouring purposes at all times.

The lower part of said casing a is enlarged in diameter relatively to that of the pouring aperture 5 to form an annular shoulder o and at a number of points in the interior circumference of said enlarged portion there is formed integrally with said casing a rib or projection (Z four thereof being shown in Fig. 3 and each of same extending upward and being continued along the underside of the shoulder 0. Below the casing and in close contact therewith is provided a washer (Z having a central aperture 6 and suitably formed of cork or other appropriate material which bears firmly on the upper edge of the neck of the bottle 7", the casing a and washer 6Z1 being secured strongly in place by means of an outer annular cap 9 of lead or other foil or similar material usually employed, which is spun around the neck of the bottle or otherwise strongly secured thereto in any conventional or approved manner, thus attaching the stoppering means securely to the bottle.

Within the casing a are two members which together with the washer 0Z constitute a valve structure, these members being a valve proper It in the form of a thin circular flat-topped disk having a lower outer annular flange which is adapted to seat upon the washer and thus close access to the bottle in the event of any attempts to introduce liquid through the pouring aperture of the casing. Superposed upon said disk k is a valve controlling member a also in the form of a flat-topped circular disk but having a convex lower surface bearing on the valve h and of such radius that in all positions from the normal vertical to approximately the horizontal in which the bottle may be held for the purpose of trying to introduce liquid thereinto it will always bear firmly upon the disk 72, for which purpose the curvature of said lower surface is parabolic, the result being that under conditions stated the valve disk It will always be forced firmly to its seat on the washer 611. When however the bottle is tilted sufficiently to pour liquid therefrom, this controlling member will release the valve from its seat, the lift of the valve being limited by the abutment of the upper surface of the disk 71 against the rib extensions on the shoulder a of the casing. The said ribs d have the further function of guiding both disks h and i in their movements in the casing and of affording passages between same both for the flow of liquid in pouring and the access of air to the interior of the bottle to permit such pouring by replacing the liquid discharged.

The shape of the valve controlling mem: ber and the absence of any centralizing parts on the valve itself have the effect of considerably spreading the outgoing liquid and theincoming air, thus facilitating pouring.

In the modification of the disk z shown in Fig. 4L, I may provide same with a plurality of apertures j adjacent its periphery to assist these last mentioned operations or functions.

, What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In stopper-ing means for bottles and like receptacles, the combination of a casing forming a valve chamber and provided with a pouring aperture at one end, a perforated washer constituting a valve seat adapted to rest on the edge of the receptacle and on which the opposite flush end of the casing bears, a loose tiltable imperforate and self-centering valve member in the casing comprising a thin fiat disk having a downwardly directed peripheral flange adapted to bear on said valve seat, a loose controlling member bearing on said valve disk to force same toward the seat, said valve controlling member having a flat upper face and lower bearing surface of parabolic curvature, whereby, in whatever position of the receptacle, from the vertical to approximately the horizontal, said control- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for ling member will bear constantly on said valve disk substantially as set forth.

2. In stoppering means for bottles and like receptacles, the combination of a casing forming a valve chamber and provided with a pouring aperture at one end, a centrally apertured member constituting an internal circumferential flange at the upper end of the bottle and serving as a valve seat, a loose tiltable imperforate and self centering valve member in said casing comprising a disk adapted to bear upon said valve seat, and a loose controlling member bearing on said valve disk to force the same toward its seat, said valve controlling member having a lower bearing surface of parabolic curvature whereby in whatever position of the receptacle from a vertical to approximately the horizontal said controlling member will bear constantly on said disk substantially as set forth. l

3. In stoppering means for bottles and like receptacles, the combination of a casing forming a valve chamber-and provided with a pouring aperture at one end, an annular perforated valve seat, a tiltable valve member and a loose controlling member ARCHIBALD MONTGOMERY LOW.

Witnesses:

ALFRED EDWIN HATHAWAY, H. D. JAMEsoN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

